"MasterCard VP," Pro-War Biden Doesn't Have What it Takes to Deliver Hillary Votes That Obama Needs

In naming the MasterCard Senator and pro-war Joe Biden to be his Vice Presidential nominee, Senator Obama has chosen a running mate whose biting primary season criticisms of Obama will be used by McCain.

While Biden has shown backbone by supporting the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, habeas corpus for Guantanamo prisoners and voting for the McCain-Feingold overhaul of campaign finance, it is difficult to see what Biden brings to the Obama campaign other than the possibility of being a rhetorically populist attack man against the McCain campaign.

Biden will have a tough time when people find out that as MBNA's man in the Senate--MBNA has been his biggest financial backer, after contributing $214,000 over his career--he was the long-time champion and key architect of, in the words of Chair of the Senate Banking Committee, Senator Chris Dodd, "one of the "worst bills ever," the anti-consumer bankruptcy law, which helped pave the way for the present foreclosure crisis by shifting the risk for engaging in predatory lending practices from predatory lenders to hapless borrowers.

I doubt that the millions of Americans being pushed out of their homes and squeezed on interest rate payments will want to vote for a ticket with Biden's name on it when he was the one who worked through two presidential administrations to ram this legislation through, first with President Clinton who had the good sense to veto it, and then President Bush who had the moral bankruptcy to sign it.

The chief knock on Obama, besides his numerous flip-flops on matters of civil liberties, the war and justice, has been his lack of experience. That Obama ultimately picked the one person who most bluntly criticized his experience and readiness for the Presidency suggests that one of the reasons the Illinois Senator picked Biden was for his foreign policy experience. Does that include his Iraq war support? Does that include his support for the militaristic repression of Palestinians and their homeland instead of supporting the Israeli and Palestinian peace movements for a majority backed two-state solution?

Biden is highly regressive on criminal justice issues. He was the architect of the modern drug war (i.e., the Anti-Drug Abuse of 1986), including mandatory minimum sentencing that can be credited with the world record U.S. prison population. On foreign policy, Biden is a hawk who supported the use of military force in Iraq and has voted for every funding bill, put forward by Bush-Cheney

By picking Biden, arguably the most powerful pro-war Democratic Senator, to fill his foreign policy experience vacuum, Obama has squandered his biggest perceived image distinction with McCain, and can no longer ride the coattails of the anti-war movement and the majority of Americans who oppose Bush and Cheney's illegal foreign wars.

Biden, who voted for reauthorizing the PATRIOT Act along with Obama, will not help much with the millions of independent voters who care about the Constitution. Hillary Clinton who after voting, like Biden, for this bill the first time in 2001, decided to vote against the reauthorization of the notoriously misnamed PATRIOT Act.

Coming from Delaware, Senator Biden knows full well the weak Delaware State chartering for large corporations that have, for 100 years, chosen Delaware as a most permissive jurisdiction for the concentrated powers of corporate officers and directors over all the corporate stakeholders, including shareholders and workers. We look forward to his broader responsibility as a vice presidential candidate to see whether it will include support for the long overdue federal chartering of large corporations endorsed by Presidents Teddy Roosevelt and William Taft.

__________________no matter where you go, there you are ..."And remember, no matter where you go, there you are." .—Confucius

Had to take a break from my vacation to register my disappointment in Obama’s selection of Biden.

I understand the rationale–Obama wants an attack dog to go after McCain while he appears to be above the fray. Biden also adds some foreign policy and Beltway heft to the ticket. The Beltway CW says this pick was safe, but not particularly bold. I think that’s about right.

But from a policy perspective, it’s a disaster. Biden has sponsored more damaging drug war legislation than any Democrat in Congress. Hate the way federal prosecutors use RICO laws to take aim at drug offenders? Thank Biden. How about the abomination that is federal asset forfeiture laws? Thank Biden. Think federal prosecutors have too much power in drug cases? Thank Biden. Think the title of a “Drug Czar” is sanctimonious and silly? Thank Biden, who helped create the position (and still considers it an accomplishment worth boasting about). Tired of the ridiculous steroids hearings in Congress? Thank Biden, who led the effort to make steroids a Schedule 3 drug, and has been among the blowhardiest of the blowhards when it comes to sports and performance enhancing drugs. Biden voted in favor of using international development aid for drug control (think plan Columbia, plan Afghanistan, and other meddling anti-drug efforts that have only fostered loathing of America, backlash, and unintended consequences). Oh, and he was also the chief sponsor of 2004’s horrendous RAVE Act.

Biden does appear to have eased up a bit in the last couple years, including taking a fairly strong position against federal raids on medical marijuana clinics (though he still opposes making marijuana available for medicinal purposes). But that’s little consolation for all the damage he’s done over the years.

Biden’s record on other criminal justice and civil liberties issues is just as bad. Opponents of the federalization of crime might note that the 1994 crime bill he sponsored created several new federal capital offenses. Biden also wants to expand federal penalties for hate crimes. He supports a federal smoking ban. His position on the federal drinking age is, and I quote, “absolutely do not” lower it to 18. He believes “most violent crime is related to drugs” (if he had said “drug prohibition,” he’d be closer to the truth). Biden also has an almost perfect anti-gun voting record. He said last year he favors “universal national service,” either in the Peace Corps or the military. Sounds like conscription to me. He says he’s opposed to the PATRIOT Act, but he voted for both the original bill and its re-authorization in 2005.

Foreign policy? Biden voted for the war on Iraq. Yes, he’s opposed to it now (and I like the partition plan he pushed in the primaries). But he didn’t vote correctly when it counted most. Biden also voted to send troops into Darfur. He wants to enlarge NATO. He voted in favor of the air strikes in Kosovo. He voted to strengthen the trade embargo against Cuba. His seems to be a meddling, interventionist, Clinton-esque foreign policy. His first instinct seems to be that the U.S. military’s objective include some vague notion of “doing good in the world.” Never mind the disastrous consequences that notion has reaped over the years.

I obviously disagree with Biden on a host of economic and regulatory issues, too (though he does seem to be fairly decent on free trade). But that’s to be expected. My problem with Biden is that he’s not even good on the issues the left is supposed to be good on. He’s an overly ambitious, elitist, tunnel-visioned, Potomac-fevered Beltway dinosaur, with all the trappings. He may well have been the worst possible pick among congressional Democrats when it comes to the drug war and criminal justice.

Your humble Agitator predicted the Biden pick last February. It was a prediction made mostly from cynicism. I wish I had been wrong.

On principle, Obama stumbles badly, here. I guess we’ll have to wait to see how it plays out on the electoral map.

__________________
We're going to need a lot of rope after the revolution.

I've never liked Biden because of his views on drugs. I wish our country would treat drug use as a medical problem instead of a criminal problem, and decriminalize all possession charges, ala Holland and Switzerland. IMO drug prohibition and "the war on drugs" do nothing to curb usage, and in fact increase it, while at the same time dramatically increasing violent crime.

That being said, Biden should be good for internet gambling, though we must question whether he'll have any real say in policy if Obama wins, as Cheney's large role in this present administration is extremely rare for a VP.

There was a tentative cheer from online gaming enthusiasts today after Barack Obama chose Joe Biden as his running mate for the 2008 election .

Biden is a strong suporter of civil liberties and despite very little in the way of direct commentary from Biden on the UIGEA, he is thought to be a supporter of legalizing online gambling.

It is speculated that the combined force of Biden and Barack Obama, who is a strong advocate for online freedom and accessibility, may take them down the track towards legalizing online gambling

Legalization of online gambling would not only be in-line with Bidens philosophy of civil liberty, it would also be seen as a stance that would help protect those US citizens that do take part in online gambling. Legalizing online gambling would give players highly regulated, reputable online casinos and poker rooms to play in that are regulated by the US government. The move would also bring in extra tax revenue into the coffers at times of economic uncertainty.

There are other links that may suggest a supportive stance for online gambling from the pair. Biden is known to be a strong supporter of gambling in general and has received support money from famous players in the casino industry, Steve Wynn and Kirk Kerkorian. Steve Wynn’s wife, Elaine Wynn is a strong supporter and of Barack Obama and serves as a member of the Nevada steering committee leadership team with a key advisory role

Influential Vegas casino icons like Wynn and Kerkorian are thought to be interested in taking on a role in creating reputable, regulated online gambling companies, should legislation take place to allow it

Notes on Steve Wynn and Kirk Kerkorian:
Steve Wynn, the Las Vegas developer. Wynn has a long history in shaping Vegas and can boast The Mirage, Treasure Island, The Golden Nugget, Bellagio and Wynn Las Vegas amongst some of the Vegas properties he either owns or has developed

Kirk Kerkorian, director of MGM Mirage, who owns and operate many properties in Vegas. These include the The Mirage, Bellagio, Treasure Island, the New York-New York. In addition to that, they also bought the Luxor, Mandalay Bay, Excalibur and Circus Circus.

A VP's past policy decisions and/or legilative history have little bearing, since it's the President that sets policy, and the VP that goes along with it. Except for Cheney, who has had to run things for a bumbling, incompetant idiot, that has alway been true. Gore had serious policy differences with Clinton, Bush had serious policy differences with Reagan. But they were good choices because they helped sell the nation on the President as the right choice, and the opponent as the wrong choice. That's exactly what Biden will do, and will do exceedingly well, IMO. Better than any other VP possibilities by far.

He said last year he favors “universal national service,” either in the Peace Corps or the military.

i REALLY don't see what's wrong with this? actually, i've been saying for years this should be done. all these people coming to America, legally or illegally, are expecting a free ride while the youth of our nation who're born here bear the brunt of battle.

my Afghanny friend who got political asylum here, once he got his citizenship, signed up to be an interpreter in Afghanistan and served 2/yrs because he wanted to repay Amercia for being good to him and his family.

you want to live in this country, do 3/yrs in the military defending it.

or the peace corps, and i've known professors and execs that've gone to do a tour with the Peace Corps, and said it was the most gratifying experience they ever had in their lives.

bottom line, people need to contribute to this nation. if you dont contribute, what good are you to anyone, or yourself? JMO

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheGuesser

A VP's past policy decisions and/or legilative history have little bearing, since it's the President that sets policy, and the VP that goes along with it. Except for Cheney, who has had to run things for a bumbling, incompetant idiot, that has alway been true.

Prettymuch TG. In fact i'd say Biden's record pales compared to Cheney's. And talk about not doing anything for his country. When Cheney was asked why he didn't serve in Vietnam and got 5/draft deferments, he said "I had better things to do." Gee, no sh*t, who didn't Dick?

Biden never served in the military because in '66 he was married and working on his doctorate (exempt from the draft), but his son does ...

"He is a captain in the Delaware Army National Guard .... and is set to be deployed to Iraq in October, 2008."

... and eventho it's a bullsh*t war (most are), i applaud him for doing the honorable thing.

__________________no matter where you go, there you are ..."And remember, no matter where you go, there you are." .—Confucius

I'd like to thank you for the warm welcome I've received as the newest member of this campaign.

What you and Barack have accomplished over the past 19 months is incredible, and it's an honor to be part of it. I'm looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting involved.

I recorded a short video message about how I hope to help in the weeks ahead.

Please take a minute to watch the video and share it with your friends:

Over the next few weeks, I'll be doing a lot of the things you've done to grow this movement -- reaching out day after day in neighborhoods all across the country, connecting with people who are hungry for the change we need.

This is no ordinary time, and this is no ordinary election. I plan to do everything I can to help Barack take back the White House.

I don't need to tell you that John McCain will just bring us another four years of the same. You can't change America when you supported George Bush's policies 95% of the time.

Barack has the vision and the courage to bring real change to Washington. But even he can't do this alone.

Join me by getting involved in your community -- and reach out to your friends and family to get them involved as well.

DENVER, Colorado (CNN) — It’s a dead heat in the race for the White House. The first national poll conducted entirely after Barack Obama publicly named Joe Biden as his running mate suggests that battle for the presidency between the Illinois senator and Republican rival John McCain is all tied up.

In a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll out Sunday night, 47 percent of those questioned are backing Obama with an equal amount supporting the Arizona senator.

“This looks like a step backward for Obama, who had a 51 to 44 percent advantage last month,” says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.

“Even last week, just before his choice of Joe Biden as his running mate became known, most polls tended to show Obama with a single-digit advantage over McCain,” adds Holland.

So what’s the difference now?

It may be supporters of Hillary Clinton, who still would prefer the Senator from New York as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee.

Sixty-six percent of Clinton supporters, registered Democrats who want Clinton as the nominee, are now backing Obama. That’s down from 75 percent in the end of June. Twenty-seven percent of them now say they’ll support McCain, up from 16 percent in late June.

“The number of Clinton Democrats who say they would vote for McCain has gone up 11 points since June, enough to account for most although not all of the support McCain has gained in that time,” says Holland.

Clinton and Obama battled throughout the primary season, with Clinton winning more than 40 percent of the delegates. She suspended her bid for the White House and backed Obama in early June, after the end of the primary season.

A majority of registered voters, 54 percent, think Obama’s choice of Delaware Senator Joe Biden as his running mate is an excellent or good decision. That number jumps to 73 percent when just asked of registered Democrats. But it drops to 59 percent when narrowed to Clinton supporters.

“It's not that there's anything wrong with the choice of Joe Biden. A majority of those polled rate the Biden selection as excellent or pretty good. Voters think he is qualified to be president, and with the exception of Al Gore in 1992, the public ranks Biden as the most qualified running mate in recent times," says Holland.

"A lot of Americans don't know who he is, but his favorable rating is 13 points higher than his unfavorables But Biden is not Hillary Clinton, and it's possible that is enough to have moved some of her supporters away from the Democratic ticket, at least temporarily."

Among all Democrats, only 38 percent say Obama should have selected Clinton as his running mate.

Will Biden’s naming as Obama’s running mate make a difference? Maybe not. Seventy-four percent of all voters questioned in the survey say it won’t have any effect on their vote for president.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll was conducted on Saturday and Sunday, with 1,023 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey’s sampling error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points for all voters. For registered Democrats, it is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points, and for Democrats who still support Clinton for the party's nomination, it is plus or minus 7.5 percentage points.

Quote:
Originally Posted by JC
He said last year he favors “universal national service,” either in the Peace Corps or the military.

i REALLY don't see what's wrong with this? actually, i've been saying for years this should be done. all these people coming to America, legally or illegally, are expecting a free ride while the youth of our nation who're born here bear the brunt of battle.

my Afghanny friend who got political asylum here, once he got his citizenship, signed up to be an interpreter in Afghanistan and served 2/yrs because he wanted to repay Amercia for being good to him and his family.

you want to live in this country, do 3/yrs in the military defending it.

or the peace corps, and i've known professors and execs that've gone to do a tour with the Peace Corps, and said it was the most gratifying experience they ever had in their lives.

bottom line, people need to contribute to this nation. if you dont contribute, what good are you to anyone, or yourself? JMO

I guess I shouldn't be surprised by the anti-drug war guys in an illegal gambling forum but.........

Why in the world was that a bad idea? I understand if you say that it was ineptly executed. But otherwise it was on spot.

you must be kidding

we have the highest rates of incarceration in the world, over a million drug users a year get sent to the slammer

we've spent countless billions of dollars, about $50 billion a year

yet we still have the highest per capita drug use in the world

the only thing that came out of the whole War on Drugs is that white people got more jobs in law enforcement and black people got put in jail. Something that a lot of people might argue was the whole point from the get-go

Please be advised that if you are wagering over the internet, this is illegal in many jurisdictions. A wagering site may be operating legally at their location but it may still be illegal for you to wager from your location. We suggest you check on the legal situation from any jurisdiction in which you may wager.